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Retail IT is being transformed. CIOs are shifting from proprietary systems to package solutions and from an emphasis on cost reduction to a solid bump in IT capital spending. A strong customer focus means CIOs are fixing their attention on channel integration and analytics that will help them spot and anticipate shopper preferences more quickly. "Talking about re-engineering the foundation of retail IT may not be the sexy side of technology, but it's critical," Webster says. "If a company jumps into mobile-assisted in-store selling ... but doesn't have accurate visibility of inventory across the enterprise, what have they accomplished?" That's a point of view echoed by Gartner vice president of research Jeff Roster. "The big attack has to be on infrastructure," he says. "There are still a whole lot of retail companies out there that need to retire legacy systems and get out of the proprietary code writing business. Once they move to packaged systems, the opportunity to decrease infrastructure costs and reshape the business around today's customer can move forward at a quicker pace."

The March 11 edition of Inside Higher Ed includes the following article on Oracle's announcement of the development of a new cloud-based student information system, with a focus on mobile and social features. The article includes comments from a blog post by Cole Clark, global vice president for education and research, Oracle, who notes that no other company can draw on the rich portfolio of IP, development talent, implementation experience, and industry expertise than Oracle. The article also notes that Oracle and other ERP providers have recently been challenged by new entrants into the market, such as Workday and Kuali, who have promised more flexible and lightweight student information systems.

The March 11 edition of Inside Higher Ed includes the following article on Oracle's announcement of the development of a new cloud-based student information system, with a focus on mobile and social features. The article includes comments from a blog post by Cole Clark, global vice president for education and research, Oracle, who notes that no other company can draw on the rich portfolio of IP, development talent, implementation experience, and industry expertise than Oracle. The article also notes that Oracle and other ERP providers have recently been challenged by new entrants into the market, such as Workday and Kuali, who have promised more flexible and lightweight student information systems.

"Our brands are committed to delivering an interactive, exciting and efficient shopping experience to all our customers around the world, no matter which channel they choose to use to visit us, from flagship stores to mobile devices," Sir Philip Green, owner of Arcadia Group said. "Global expansion is a key strategic focus for Arcadia, and to do this successfully, we need to make sure the best merchandise assortment is available in each store and channel. We expect Oracle to help us enhance our merchandising strategies to help ensure that we deliver the best possible customer promise every time.

"Our brands are committed to delivering an interactive, exciting and efficient shopping experience to all our customers around the world, no matter which channel they choose to use to visit us, from flagship stores to mobile devices," Sir Philip Green, owner of Arcadia Group said. "Global expansion is a key strategic focus for Arcadia, and to do this successfully, we need to make sure the best merchandise assortment is available in each store and channel. We expect Oracle to help us enhance our merchandising strategies to help ensure that we deliver the best possible customer promise every time.

The April 28 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education includes the following article highlighting the open-source software market in higher education, with a focus on the Kuali Foundation.  The article includes comment based on an interview with Mark Armstrong, vice president for higher education product development, Oracle, who notes that when building an ERP-scale product via open-source, it is really difficult to sustain long term.  Additionally, the article further discusses that Oracle remains a big supporter of community-sourced projects and that Kuali has produced interesting and creative work, challenging the notion that the ERP marketplace lacks competition and that for-profit vendors mercilessly bilk colleges.

The April 28 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education includes the following article highlighting the open-source software market in higher education, with a focus on the Kuali Foundation.  The article includes comment based on an interview with Mark Armstrong, vice president for higher education product development, Oracle, who notes that when building an ERP-scale product via open-source, it is really difficult to sustain long term.  Additionally, the article further discusses that Oracle remains a big supporter of community-sourced projects and that Kuali has produced interesting and creative work, challenging the notion that the ERP marketplace lacks competition and that for-profit vendors mercilessly bilk colleges.

Vendor eyes multi-channel as it builds cloud portfolio. Oracle is hitting retailers with a flood of enterprise software as it seeks to establish itself as a key cloud player in the market. The software vendor will launch six products covering critical ecommerce, customer engagement, order management, order fulfilment, loss prevention, and brand compliance. Jill Puleri, SVP and GM at Oracle Retail, said: "Retailers looking for agility, performance, and cost predictability are increasingly considering the cloud. "The new Oracle Retail Cloud Services help eliminate the time and cost constraints that too often hamper retailers' ability to respond to new opportunities for growth." Many of the products are dedicated to enabling multi-channel operations, a focus for retailers seeking to integrate their online and offline business amid rising customer expectations.

Vendor eyes multi-channel as it builds cloud portfolio. Oracle is hitting retailers with a flood of enterprise software as it seeks to establish itself as a key cloud player in the market. The software vendor will launch six products covering critical ecommerce, customer engagement, order management, order fulfilment, loss prevention, and brand compliance. Jill Puleri, SVP and GM at Oracle Retail, said: "Retailers looking for agility, performance, and cost predictability are increasingly considering the cloud. "The new Oracle Retail Cloud Services help eliminate the time and cost constraints that too often hamper retailers' ability to respond to new opportunities for growth." Many of the products are dedicated to enabling multi-channel operations, a focus for retailers seeking to integrate their online and offline business amid rising customer expectations.

"Our brands are committed to delivering an interactive, exciting and efficient shopping experience to all our customers around the world, no matter which channel they choose to use to visit us, from flagship stores to mobile devices," Sir Philip Green, owner of Arcadia Group said. "Global expansion is a key strategic focus for Arcadia, and to do this successfully, we need to make sure the best merchandise assortment is available in each store and channel. We expect Oracle to help us enhance our merchandising strategies to help ensure that we deliver the best possible customer promise every time."

"Our brands are committed to delivering an interactive, exciting and efficient shopping experience to all our customers around the world, no matter which channel they choose to use to visit us, from flagship stores to mobile devices," Sir Philip Green, owner of Arcadia Group said. "Global expansion is a key strategic focus for Arcadia, and to do this successfully, we need to make sure the best merchandise assortment is available in each store and channel. We expect Oracle to help us enhance our merchandising strategies to help ensure that we deliver the best possible customer promise every time."

"Our brands are committed to delivering an interactive, exciting and efficient shopping experience to all our customers around the world, no matter which channel they choose to use to visit us, from flagship stores to mobile devices," said Sir Philip Green, owner of Arcadia Group. "Global expansion is a key strategic focus for Arcadia, and to do this successfully, we need to make sure the best merchandise assortment is available in each store and channel. We expect Oracle to help us enhance our merchandising strategies to help ensure that we deliver the best possible customer promise every time."

"Our brands are committed to delivering an interactive, exciting and efficient shopping experience to all our customers around the world, no matter which channel they choose to use to visit us, from flagship stores to mobile devices," said Sir Philip Green, owner of Arcadia Group. "Global expansion is a key strategic focus for Arcadia, and to do this successfully, we need to make sure the best merchandise assortment is available in each store and channel. We expect Oracle to help us enhance our merchandising strategies to help ensure that we deliver the best possible customer promise every time."

"Our brands are committed to delivering an interactive, exciting and efficient shopping experience to all our customers around the world, no matter which channel they choose to use to visit us, from flagship stores to mobile devices," said Sir Philip Green, Owner of Arcadia Group. "Global expansion is a key strategic focus for Arcadia, and to do this successfully, we need to make sure the best merchandise assortment is available in each store and channel. We expect Oracle to help us enhance our merchandising strategies to help ensure that we deliver the best possible customer promise every time."

"Our brands are committed to delivering an interactive, exciting and efficient shopping experience to all our customers around the world, no matter which channel they choose to use to visit us, from flagship stores to mobile devices," said Sir Philip Green, Owner of Arcadia Group. "Global expansion is a key strategic focus for Arcadia, and to do this successfully, we need to make sure the best merchandise assortment is available in each store and channel. We expect Oracle to help us enhance our merchandising strategies to help ensure that we deliver the best possible customer promise every time."

"Today, whether shopping for an item, making reservations, examining a bill, evaluating projects, or viewing medical information, the digital age has brought us to a point where we now expect the ability to make real-time decisions, transact, and customize options at the tap of the screen. In the new service-driven economy, innovative enterprises must focus on two things: taking care of their customers and taking care of their employees," said Bob Weiler, executive vice president, Global Business Units, Oracle.

"Today, whether shopping for an item, making reservations, examining a bill, evaluating projects, or viewing medical information, the digital age has brought us to a point where we now expect the ability to make real-time decisions, transact, and customize options at the tap of the screen. In the new service-driven economy, innovative enterprises must focus on two things: taking care of their customers and taking care of their employees," said Bob Weiler, executive vice president, Global Business Units, Oracle.

"It's become mission critical to understand what is going on across the enterprise and why it is happening," Morgan-Vandome explained. "To make this a reality, each different line of business user needs to get a perspective of activity impacting all divisions." Nine out of 10 C-level retail executives reported that their organization is collecting and managing an average of 98% more business information than two years ago, according to a recent survey conducted by Oracle, Redwood Shores, Calif. And the sources are ever-growing. For example, 43% of data stems from customer information, 33% from operations, and 30% sales and marketing, according to the survey.

The November 7 issue of Campus Technology includes an article highlighting the announcement that University of Akron in Ohio began implementing Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition and Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise Performance Management, both hosted on Oracle Cloud Solutions for Education and Research. The article notes that the new technology is part of the university's Vision 2020 strategic plan to increase enrollment, improve the learning experience, and increase funding. The article also notes that East-West University (EWU) has implemented Oracle's PeopleSoft Campus Solutions to help automate administrative processes and improve information management. The article includes comment from Susan Rzyczycki, assistant vice president applications services, University of Akron, who notes that the Oracle Cloud Solutions for Education and Research provided the university with an additional option for its strategic planning needs--while also preserving internal capabilities to focus on core competencies. The article also includes comment from Farid I. Muhammad, director of title III, East-West University, who notes that by selecting the Optimized Campus implementation model for Oracle's PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, the university receive the benefits of Oracle's complete, integrated solutions that enable higher education institutions to adapt to the changing needs and demands of all their constituents, at an affordable cost.

Enterprise IT needs are quickly changing to favor data analytics and cloud-computing as businesses look to quickly adopt a customer-centric model.

Enterprise IT needs are quickly changing to favor data analytics and cloud-computing as businesses look to quickly adopt a customer-centric model.

TWC Wi-Fi business remains the cable giant's wireless broadband offering of choice, and notes long-running competition has made it better.

TWC Wi-Fi business remains the cable giant's wireless broadband offering of choice, and notes long-running competition has made it better.

The September 6 edition of Campus Technology includes the following article highlighting the results of Oracle's "Making the Grade: Optimizing the Higher Education Student Experience" report. The article notes that the majority of students say that the quality of student services directly affects their overall satisfaction with their school, but just about half say their schools meet their customer service expectations. The article includes comment by Cole Clark, global vice president of education and research industry, Oracle, who notes that schools that focus on the basics - such as ensuring information accessibility, providing multiple contact points for students and delivering consistent processes - and leverage mobile and social media platforms to engage students, will provide an unforgettable positive educational experience, and in turn, make institutions more competitive. The article also notes that Oracle will host a webcast on Wednesday, September 19, to discuss the findings.

While there's been much focus on consumer mobile devices, there's also much to be gained from using mobile devices equipped to help run the business. This is especially true for retailers when critical, day-to-day decision-makers are in the field visiting stores. Imagine a district manager walking into a store with an iPad that provides current sales trends, inventory reports or labor productivity for that store, complete with exceptions highlighted and the ability to drill into details...

...A good example of a core project Wolfe started was the re-architecture of the company's front-end Oracle ATG e-commerce platform to the Amazon Web Service (AWS) public cloud. This was key to enhancing customer experience across Shop Direct's retail websites, with availability the main area of focus. The retailer's entire e-commerce infrastructure now sits on the cloud - including ATG and Oracle's enterprise data discovery platform Endeca, as well as the AWS-provided Elastic Load Balancing and Relational Database services, which now support Shop Direct's database. "The migration was a good example of that drive to get service under control, and since our shop is always open, availability is critical to us and therefore the first thing to tackle," says Wolfe.

"Retailers looking for agility, performance, and cost predictability are increasingly considering the cloud," said Jill Puleri, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Retail. "The new Oracle Retail Cloud Services help eliminate the time and cost constraints that too often hamper retailers' ability to respond to new opportunities for growth. Just as important, Oracle Retail Cloud Services allow retailers to focus on their business and work on strategic projects that add value to the business."